


what is simple in the moonlight by the morning never is

by elmsinthunder



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 20:16:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10046492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elmsinthunder/pseuds/elmsinthunder
Summary: being part of the gang is exhausting.





	

she’s sitting on the fire escape, legs dangling over the edge. there are no stars, just the streetlights and the sounds of the city below. she exhales and the wind blows the smoke back into her face. she blinks away the tears. there’s movement at the window behind her. instinctively, she puts another cigarette in her mouth and lights it before passing it backwards to charlie, who settles in next to her. this routine hasn’t changed for twenty-five years. from under the high school bleachers to the fire escape of a shitty efficiency apartment, it’s always been like this, just the two of them finding comfort in the quiet. they spend their days fighting to yell the loudest, desperate for their friends to hear them, to acknowledge their existence, and spend their nights in silence, exhausted by the effort. she glances over and catches charlie staring at her with those clear, childlike eyes. she never wonders what he’s thinking. she doesn’t have to. 

 

he’s so tired. it could be the copious amount of alcohol in his system, or the fact that he hasn’t been able to afford a real meal in days, or simply the warm breeze blowing down the alley, but he can barely keep his eyes open. he takes a long, slow drag and looks at dee. sweet dee. she came over tonight claiming that mac and dennis had sexiled her again, which was probably true, but it wasn’t the only reason she was here. she had shown up here because this is the only place where she isn’t invisible. he closes his eyes and rests his head against her shoulder, allowing her to wrap her arm around him. normally, it unsettles him to be touched like this, but he lets it go for the sake of letting her feel useful. he exhales.

 

as the night stretches on, they remain there, motionless except for the mechanical rise and fall of their hands as they chain-smoke through an entire pack of cigarettes. they talk about leaving to buy more, but neither wants to disturb the small peace they’ve created for themselves. dee wonders aloud if mac is done banging dennis yet and charlie laughs, still trying to wrap his head around this new dynamic developing between his two best friends and wondering where this leaves him. he knows that dee feels the same way. for over forty years, her twin has never loved anyone but her and losing even a fraction of that has left her confused and vulnerable. her hand is resting on charlie’s arm, and he reaches up to cover it with his own. neither of them is going anywhere. there isn’t anywhere to go.


End file.
